I can't remember much of anything about Lloyd Irving, but I don't remember being irritated with him like I was with Asbel. Plus his dad was Liquid Snake so that has to count for something!

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Lloyd was godawful. If Asbel is worse...I don't think I will be able to handle it. Then again I do still love ToS in spite of its offensively bad protagonist(s). Collette is like that little devil that appears as though an angel. Yeah yeah, hyperbole but I do dislike her. ^_^

Asbel being the opposite of Yuri is definitely a bad thing (because I still do like Yuri...he is just not say, Jade). Asbel being like Luke...now that would be a good thing. Luke had every reason to be that A-grade A-hole he was initially and his development arc is still my favourite in the series.

I assume Resonance of Fate is somewhere in your enormous backlog, what with you being a huge VP fan and all.

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Definitely! I've got that huuuuuge jRPG itch in me lately, so I am going to buy all the ones I've missed out on so far. I think I'll start with Xenoblade then get Resonance later. Being that I am relocating for a new job, I can't afford to spend as frivolously as I once used to. Oh well.

So as you can probably guess, I am, perhaps, a little bit stressed out.

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Certainly sounds like it! I hope this too shall pass and you can post more. But it sounds like *mostly* the good kind of busy. I hope your hubby readjusts soon enough. I can probably imagine the kind of culture shock and basically new air would take some getting used to.

But I'm hanging in there! Oh, and Xillia's localization announcement...I would've been more excited if I didn't have so many things going on at once. Well at least I can finally understand the game and either love (or hate?) the game more than I do now. (Graces F? Yeah don't even ask when I'll get through that one )

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lol, Xillia is 2013 so there's time I guess. I'll get to see what the fuss is with Graces F later this month...assuming I can be bothered to fix my PS3, ha.

Steven, Red Dead Redemption is on my list as well. I tried a few times to start it, but I can't seem to get into it. It's a shame, because from what I seen from later in the game, it looks like a lot of fun.

To be fair, though, as boring as the opening portion of the game is, I was in a gaming "funk" when I tried to play it, so that prevented me from really getting into it.

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Same for me. When I was playing it initially I was in some kind of funk. I think I'll have a better go around it this time. I just started a file not too long ago and I'm digging it. Taming horses seem to be slightly tricky though =\

So as you can probably guess, I am, perhaps, a little bit stressed out

Just a little I’d say. Setbacks and drama aside I’m sure the reception will turn out well.

But I'm hanging in there! Oh, and Xillia's localization announcement...I would've been more excited if I didn't have so many things going on at once. Well at least I can finally understand the game and either love (or hate?) the game more than I do now. (Graces F? Yeah don't even ask when I'll get through that one )

I’m pretty numb about Xillia to be honest, since import impressions haven’t been the most positive from what I’ve read. As for Graces f, I have no clue when I’ll get around to finishing it. At the rate I’m going, Steven will finish it before me.

D-does anyone even remember me? Guys? ... =(

CAIIINN! It's good to see you again, how are things?

Dragon's Dogma rocked, Ygg. I loved it. I've put in over 100 hours, and still haven't really "finished" it. Was midway through my NG+ when I burnt out on it.

Good to see another Dragon's Dogma fan here.

I really loved the post-game stuff, and the whole atmosphere. The difficulty spike was very welcoming as well. It's like the game truly begins at that point.

Venturing out into the post-game world for the first time was both terrifying and thrilling, and the atmosphere was so depressing(but so good). However, it was a bit disappointing that the majority of the world remained largely unchanged as far as monster spawns go.

What was your favorite class? I tend to gravitate toward either Assassin or Sorcerer. Sorcerer didn't seem like much fun at first, but with the right augments and Pawn inclinations (to protect you while you cast), you can pull off some pretty devestating spells. Assassin is just plain badass, and versatile. Especially against the large beasts.

I only used the four magic-oriented classes(I figured I’d save the others for another playthrough), but my pick would have to be the Mystic Knight. A stack of enchanted Great Cannons will make short work of anything save for golems and metal golems. His melee is also pretty good once he gets a good sword or mace, and being able to enchant yourself and your whole party at once is very convenient and helpful.

The Sorcerer’s top-tier spells are indeed badass, but they take forever to cast. It didn’t help that I gave the Wyrmking’s Ring back to the Duke instead of making a forgery and keeping the real ring for myself.

Quite disappointed in the NG+, though. Really wish the enemy difficulty would have scaled upwards when you embarked on the next runthrough. Ah well.

New game plus was a hugely missed opportunity in Dragon’s Dogma, and made more bizarre by having a high level cap(199) when the player will outstrip everything long, long before reaching it. Hideaki Itsuno and his team should have taken a page from Demon’s/Dark Souls where each successive new game plus is more difficult than the last.

Yggy, I'm replaying New Vegas currently, in the form of the Ultimate Edition. It's sooo good, but I am playing on the PS3, so the problems are sooo bad. Ugh. Slowdowns, and freezing. Dead Money and Honest Hearts ran very well, though. Surprisingly so. I hear horror stories about the stability of Old World Blues though. It's kind of hurting my desire to continue, but damn it all, I shall.

It’s buggy enough already on the 360, so I can’t imagine what you’re going through on the PS3 version.

As far as the DLCs go, my overall ranks for them are:

Old World Blues > Lonesome Road > Dead Money > Honest Hearts

Also, it's funny to return here and see you again. I am actually rewatching the Stargate series. Still as awesome as ever, and disappointing the series is dead. =(

It's a damn shame that Universe got canned right when it finally started to get good, and with it, the Stargate series. The first season was a complete mess and Syfy has moved away from science fiction for the most part, so the writing was on the wall I guess.

Sorry I ignored your post Steven, but I was about to head out and meet some friends. So double post, but meh not like that doesn't happen here normally anyway.

Lloyd was godawful. If Asbel is worse...I don't think I will be able to handle it. Then again I do still love ToS in spite of its offensively bad protagonist(s). Collette is like that little devil that appears as though an angel. Yeah yeah, hyperbole but I do dislike her. ^_^

Lmao, I also forgot to mention that the main female protagonist in Graces f is pretty bad as well. Not Colette bad mind you, but she’s worse than Estellise and thus nowhere near Tear.

Asbel being like Luke...now that would be a good thing.

Yep, too bad they’re nothing alike. Enjoy!

Definitely! I've got that huuuuuge jRPG itch in me lately, so I am going to buy all the ones I've missed out on so far. I think I'll start with Xenoblade then get Resonance later. Being that I am relocating for a new job, I can't afford to spend as frivolously as I once used to. Oh well.

Sounds like a good start. I've still got Xenoblade Chronicles in plastic wrap here, but I will probably jump into something a bit smaller like Alpha Protocol or Rayman Origins before diving into a huge RPG again.

It hurts me that I am PART of the Revelaitons problem :'( ... ORC sales are so unfortunate. smh.

Same, but I try to tell myself that it’s not my fault because I don’t own the platform that the game released on. Simply put, there are millions of 3DS owners that could’ve boughtRevelations, but didn’t for whatever reason(s).

What pains me more though is to see Dragon’s Dogma struggle at a measly 1.05 million copies shipped. This was Capcom's most expensive game to date, with a development cycle of around 4 years and a team of 150 people, and it bombs worse than Lost Planet 2. I know that Hideaki Itsuno wants to make a sequel and Capcom intends for this to be a franchise, but I can’t shrug off the feeling that there won’t be a sequel. This game’s performance in the west isn't much better than that of a Tales of game, which has to be embarrassing and hugely disappointing for Capcom. As it stands to me, there just doesn’t seem like enough of a base in the west to build off of for a sequel to meet sales expectations.

I guess it saddens me to see what I think is Capcom’s best game since Devil May Cry 3 and Resident Evil 4 bomb so hard commercially and even critically, and meanwhile, barely playable trash like ORC sells millions. Everyone loses.

Obsidian always showing Bethesda and Bioware how it is done! I mean if KoToR2 wasn't so damn glitchy, it'd have been easily superior to KoToR. Which reminds me that I NEED New Vegas in my life.

Chris Avellone seems to be better at avoiding “black and white” morality pitfalls that Bioware and Bethesda’s writers so easily find themselves stumbling into. It’s just a damn shame that Obsidian’s games are so unpolished and buggy, but at least in New Vegas’ case, who didn’t see that coming? I mean, we have:

It’s a miracle that the game doesn’t set my 360 on fire when I insert the game disc. You can apply a different, but still terrible set of circumstances to both KOTOR2 and Alpha Protocol, and the end results aren’t exactly shocking. Sad to say, but Obsidian gets screwed over on something by just about every publisher they work with, even when their game is very successful(New Vegas bonuses being withheld because of a Metacritic score is ****ing depressing).

Lmao, I also forgot to mention that the main female protagonist in Graces f is pretty bad as well. Not Colette bad mind you, but she’s worse than Estellise and thus nowhere near Tear.

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Worse than Estelle? Oh dear.

Then again with the revisionist backlash that Abyss characters got from the Otaku Tales fanbase, it's hardly surprising they've regressed to the usual anime tropes for characters. But wait...let me not get ahead of myself and play and see for myself, I guess. There's a small chance I might like the characters more than ToV overall, ha.

I guess it saddens me to see what I think is Capcom’s best game since Devil May Cry 3 and Resident Evil 4 bomb so hard commercially and even critically, and meanwhile, barely playable trash like ORC sells millions. Everyone loses.

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When you think about it, this result mirrors this gen so well. Safe, generic projects are usually the ones that excel, while the creative unusual stuff is losing people jobs; unless you're indie and ish. It's a shame that DD didn't reap the fruits of labour that came from all that manpower and budget...I guess they have RE6 to fall back on...but I hope this doesn't mean they won't take big chances with new IPs in the future.

Indeed. I find in their games the black and white lines are often blurred into gray territory and it becomes more thought provoking than the simple case of right/wrong. Much prefer that approach and what it means for the medium as an art form.

It’s a miracle that the game doesn’t set my 360 on fire when I insert the game disc. You can apply a different, but still terrible set of circumstances to both KOTOR2 and Alpha Protocol, and the end results aren’t exactly shocking. Sad to say, but Obsidian gets screwed over on something by just about every publisher they work with, even when their game is very successful(New Vegas bonuses being withheld because of a Metacritic score is ****ing depressing).

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It's like they are treated almost as B-grade. Limited budgets + forcing to reuse assets + time constraints really put a damper on their level of productivity; especially when they have to play follow ups. I think it's a shame because they make fantastic games.

Final Fantasy is such a huge cluster**** this generation; Square-Enix even moreso. If only I could've gotten The Last Remnant 2 instead...

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They're desperate to create the same profit machine as FFXI... but clearly they're pushing it though. S-E have been one of the victims of this gen and its demands. Horrible output in the console arena and hardly any noteworthy (in-house) quality stuff. Even TWEWY was mostly outsourced.

When you think about it, this result mirrors this gen so well. Safe, generic projects are usually the ones that excel, while the creative unusual stuff is losing people jobs; unless you're indie and ish. It's a shame that DD didn't reap the fruits of labour that came from all that manpower and budget...I guess they have RE6 to fall back on...but I hope this doesn't mean they won't take big chances with new IPs in the future.

True, but even a lot of those safe and generic projects are destroying companies these days, and I imagine things will only get worse next generation.

I'm dreading that Dragon's Dogma will suffer the same fate as Lost Planet, where Capcom's solution to less than stellar sales is to outsource the sequel to some no name western developer. I hope that if there is a sequel, it stays strictly as a Japanese developed franchise and Hideaki Itsuno is given the reigns once again.

Capcom wants RE6 to sell 7 million copies worldwide by the end of the current fiscal year, which is more than the LTD numbers of either RE4 or RE5 iirc. Those are some lofty expectations there.

Indeed. I find in their games the black and white lines are often blurred into gray territory and it becomes more thought provoking than the simple case of right/wrong. Much prefer that approach and what it means for the medium as an art form.

Well said. The Witcher 2 and Nier also display a similarly blurred approach to how their characters and scenarios are portrayed, which I find to be much more interesting than the Saturday morning cartoon villainy that is typically portrayed in most games.

It's like they are treated almost as B-grade. Limited budgets + forcing to reuse assets + time constraints really put a damper on their level of productivity; especially when they have to play follow ups. I think it's a shame because they make fantastic games.

Their frail position in the industry leaves them with very little in the way of bargaining chips, so they’re pretty much at the mercy of whoever funds their games.

That same B-grade treatment you speak of can be seen from gaming journalists as well, who treat Obsidian as though they were second-class citizens to Bioware and Bethesda. It’s almost like game reviewers go into Obsidian games looking for glitches, lack of polish, wonky gameplay, etc. and punish them heavily for it. Meanwhile, Skyrim won PS3 GOTY awards from numerous gaming outlets last year, even though it’s a broken, unplayable piece of crap on the PS3.

They're desperate to create the same profit machine as FFXI... but clearly they're pushing it though. S-E have been one of the victims of this gen and its demands. Horrible output in the console arena and hardly any noteworthy (in-house) quality stuff. Even TWEWY was mostly outsourced.

That much is clear, but this is a very tricky situation for the company. The immense amount of resources and manpower dedicated to FFXIV over the years could bite Square-Enix hard in the ass if it fails to catch on a second time around. But at the same time, I have to give them credit for not pulling the plug and cutting their losses, which might’ve been an even worse proposition than what they’re doing now. Whatever happens, FFXIV’s journey only underscores just how it important it is to get things right the first time around.

The Last Remnant, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 are all they have to show for on the console side of things this generation(internally made games anyway). That’s absolutely pathetic. I guess Final Fantasy XIII-3(wtf who asked for this? ) and Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 will be added to that list soon enough lol.

I'm dreading that Dragon's Dogma will suffer the same fate as Lost Planet, where Capcom's solution to less than stellar sales is to outsource the sequel to some no name western developer. I hope that if there is a sequel, it stays strictly as a Japanese developed franchise and Hideaki Itsuno is given the reigns once again.

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Hmmm very true. Then again, I heard the whole outsourcing thing worked out for Dead Rising 2 - though I haven't played it myself (but the save system thing alone makes me almost prefer it already, ha). Have you? Plus that'd be the exception to the rule lol

Well said. The Witcher 2 and Nier also display a similarly blurred approach to how their characters and scenarios are portrayed, which I find to be much more interesting than the Saturday morning cartoon villainy that is typically portrayed in most games.

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Good you mentioned TW2 again. I had almost forgot that it had to be in my back log. Ugh, so much money to expend...I think I'll hold off getting a 3DS XL for a few more months at this rate. But I did manage to start up Xenoblade. Nothing to say yet since it's very early days and I'm moving at like 1/5th the pace I normally use in RPGs.

That same B-grade treatment you speak of can be seen from gaming journalists as well, who treat Obsidian as though they were second-class citizens to Bioware and Bethesda. It’s almost like game reviewers go into Obsidian games looking for glitches, lack of polish, wonky gameplay, etc. and punish them heavily for it. Meanwhile, Skyrim won PS3 GOTY awards from numerous gaming outlets last year, even though it’s a broken, unplayable piece of crap on the PS3.

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Exactly. It does seem like that now you mention it. Like from all impressions I've read, it seems like New Vegas is a real improvement over Fallout 3 (as was NWN2 over NWN), but yet it didn't reflect with the reviewers. I guess Obsidian need to be a powerhouse of their own (franchise-wise) to be taken more seriously...and not the go-to-code factory for follow ups? They need their Planescape Torment deux or something.

The Last Remnant, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 are all they have to show for on the console side of things this generation(internally made games anyway). That’s absolutely pathetic. I guess Final Fantasy XIII-3(wtf who asked for this? ) and Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 will be added to that list soon enough lol.

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Seriously. lol @ FFVsXIII missing out on TGS again. Seriously is there ANY real work that has been done in that game? And to think this almost vapourware project is what's holding off KH3 (then again who's to say KH3 wouldn't be handed the same fate, lulz).

Hmmm very true. Then again, I heard the whole outsourcing thing worked out for Dead Rising 2 - though I haven't played it myself (but the save system thing alone makes me almost prefer it already, ha). Have you? Plus that'd be the exception to the rule lol

Dead Rising 2 is indeed the exception to the rule, and Blue Castle/Capcom Vancouver did a good job at addressing the flaws from the first game(multiple save slots, easier NPC escort missions, co-op) while largely retaining the things that worked.

That said, I don’t think Dead Rising 2 is a good model for how a western-developed Dragon’s Dogma would turn out, mainly because the combat in Dragon’s Dogma is much more technical and nuanced than Dead Rising 2. The main appeal of Dragon’s Dogma is its combat system, and I haven’t played a single western RPG this generation whose combat system comes anywhere near close to Dragon’s Dogma in depth, variety, mechanics, and animation.

Good luck to them...but when you see how well ORC managed to sell, and also how RE5 became the best selling one...well it's not TOO lofty. We'll see though.

It’s possible, and Resident Evil 6 will most certainly end up as one of the best-selling games of this holiday season. But unlike RE4 or RE5, RE6 does face some stiff competition by releasing in a holiday season(Borderlands 2, AC3, BLOPS2, and Halo 4 namely) and it’s also getting some very divisive opinions that might end up impacting sales.

Good you mentioned TW2 again. I had almost forgot that it had to be in my back log. Ugh, so much money to expend...I think I'll hold off getting a 3DS XL for a few more months at this rate. But I did manage to start up Xenoblade. Nothing to say yet since it's very early days and I'm moving at like 1/5th the pace I normally use in RPGs.

Yeah, there are still plenty of games to play on the 360 and PS3 that I have no need for a 3DS XL or a WiiU in the near future(but of the two, I’ll probably pick up a 3DS XL first). It’ll be interesting to hear your thoughts on Xenoblade, since I’ve seen many people claim that it is the best JRPG of this generation/savior of the JRPG genre.

Exactly. It does seem like that now you mention it. Like from all impressions I've read, it seems like New Vegas is a real improvement over Fallout 3 (as was NWN2 over NWN), but yet it didn't reflect with the reviewers. I guess Obsidian need to be a powerhouse of their own (franchise-wise) to be taken more seriously...and not the go-to-code factory for follow ups? They need their Planescape Torment deux or something.

That’ll be difficult for them seeing as they don’t own any IPs, and they’re unable to fund their own games to a degree that they would be able to negotiate to keep their IP. Alpha Protocol is their only new IP this gen, and it will rot in Sega vaults until the end of time. Project North Carolina(rumored to be a Microsoft published game for the next xbox) was cancelled earlier this year, which resulted in layoffs and 6-7 months of unpaid salaries for the owners of the company. And finally, South Park: The Stick of Truth needs to sell 2 million copies to break even, which sounds like a disaster in the making. Needless to say, Obsidian is on very shaky ground and their future is looking hazy at best.

Seriously. lol @ FFVsXIII missing out on TGS again. Seriously is there ANY real work that has been done in that game? And to think this almost vapourware project is what's holding off KH3 (then again who's to say KH3 wouldn't be handed the same fate, lulz).

Well we’re likely getting an FFXIII-3 announcement on September 1st, and I’m guessing it will be launching before FFvsXIII lol. But is FFvsXIII confirmed to be a no show at TGS this year?

It’ll be interesting to hear your thoughts on Xenoblade, since I’ve seen many people claim that it is the best JRPG of this generation/savior of the JRPG genre.

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Well I've gone about ~9 hrs in and all I can say is:- Fresh, innovative battle system with lots of interesting sub-systems.- Amazing sense of scale and very cool that you're rewarded for exploring through exp points.- Very nice pacing so far...stuff is happening and you're moving on, being introduced to new areas, skills, characters, and plenty of quests (though they're mostly generic kill x monster(s) or collect y item(s), but at least they're usually auto complete so no backtracking).- Pretty likable characters and scenarios so far.- Gorgeous music.

So yeah, so far so good I say!

My fortune is pretty good. I was doing some light grocery shopping and found Donkey Kong Country Returns for a tenner and Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for even less...so I've added two very cool games to my collection, ha. Can't wait to fully check those out after Xenoblade.

That’ll be difficult for them seeing as they don’t own any IPs, and they’re unable to fund their own games to a degree that they would be able to negotiate to keep their IP. Alpha Protocol is their only new IP this gen, and it will rot in Sega vaults until the end of time. Project North Carolina(rumored to be a Microsoft published game for the next xbox) was cancelled earlier this year, which resulted in layoffs and 6-7 months of unpaid salaries for the owners of the company. And finally, South Park: The Stick of Truth needs to sell 2 million copies to break even, which sounds like a disaster in the making. Needless to say, Obsidian is on very shaky ground and their future is looking hazy at best.

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So freaking depressing huh. They're at the mercy of the giant publishers that have ruled over this generation, it seems.

Also Vita NPD at < 47k? WOW. Well all of the NPD figures (that we have anyway) and the games on the chart paint a bleak picture of the US market. Is it just a transitional phase moment? Also given that the 3DS sales are also relatively weak (>124k)... what does it say for future dedicated handheld products? I wonder if 3DS XL can salvage the handheld market because I am so NOT here for smart phones replacing handhelds, lol.

That’s great to hear; I’ll have to give it a go here in the near future. I just finished my third playthrough of Alpha Protocol a little while ago(great game btw), so I’ll probably put it aside for something else. I’m thinking of playing Rayman Origins or Red Dead Redemption next.

My fortune is pretty good. I was doing some light grocery shopping and found Donkey Kong Country Returns for a tenner and Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for even less...so I've added two very cool games to my collection, ha. Can't wait to fully check those out after Xenoblade.

Nice, it’s always great to find some good games on sale. I tried to get Bulletstorm for $5 at Best Buy about a week ago, but they were sold out by the time I got there.

So freaking depressing huh. They're at the mercy of the giant publishers that have ruled over this generation, it seems.

Yep, and I won’t be surprised if they eventually join the very long list of developers that bit the bullet this generation(if not this gen, then next gen).

Also Vita NPD at < 47k? WOW. Well all of the NPD figures (that we have anyway) and the games on the chart paint a bleak picture of the US market. Is it just a transitional phase moment? Also given that the 3DS sales are also relatively weak (>124k)... what does it say for future dedicated handheld products? I wonder if 3DS XL can salvage the handheld market because I am so NOT here for smart phones replacing handhelds, lol.

Isn’t the UK game market pretty dead too right now? Either way, the U.S. market is in very bad shape and these sales numbers(what we’ve got anyway) are pathetic. But I have to suspect, at least partially, that these dismal sales figures are the result of extending this generation beyond its natural life cycle. The Xbox 360 will be 8 years old by the time the next Xbox launches(Xbox only lasted 4 years), as will the PS3 if the PS4 does actually launch in 2014 as rumors suggest. The PS3 and 360 are also still priced like premium consoles, the latter of which has not seen a price drop since September 2007(around the launch of Halo 3)! The Wii has been dead since 2011 and is merely waiting for a burial this fall when WiiU launches. Basically, this generation is running on fumes at this point and I think new consoles are long overdue. Anyways, shamelessly stolen from gaf...

The 3DS is actually still tracking ahead of the DS, but if the 3DS doesn’t pick up the pace soon, then it will fall behind the DS sometime within the next few months(where DS sales begin their ascent to the stars). NSMB2 and 3DS XL just came out in North America though, plus there’s a holiday season coming up here pretty soon, so it’ll be interesting to see if the 3DS finally takes off or simply remains as is.

You and I have beaten the Vita topic to death, but well…

Let’s just say that Gamescon didn’t convince me that Vita’s lackluster performance is going to improve anytime soon. We finally caught a glimpse at Vita’s savior: a Call of Duty spin-off made by Nihilistic(same guys behind that terrible Resistance game on Vita) with gross graphics and epic 4v4 multiplayer over Wi-Fi. Vita is saved woohoo! The chart above is a profound sermon on just how ****ing bad the Vita is really doing(what the hell@Dreamcast vs. Vita), and made even worse when you realize that there’s little to nothing that Sony can do to change that.

I think the dedicated handheld market is shrinking though, if only when you consider that the 3DS and Vita will likely fall short of their predecessors in terms of hardware sales. Is there a future still for dedicated handhelds, you ask? I think Nintendo still has a future in the portable space because their IPs are still very strong and they gain virtually nothing by putting their games on smartphones. But Sony? Barring some miracle, I really do think that Vita may end up being their swan song in the dedicated portable market and they will instead concentrate on PlayStation Mobile and their console business.

I'm assuming it'll be a no-show but I guess it'll besortacool to be wrong on that. But yeah, FFXIII-3 is looking likely...meaning FFXIII-2's sales weren't so bad I guess?

They have to show it eventually, I mean time’s kind of running out this generation, no? FFXIV 2.0 is launching in Q1 2013, and FFXIII-3 sometime later in the fall I’m guessing, which likely puts FFvsXIII after the launch of the next Xbox and Playstation consoles lol.

FFXIII-2 made a profit in part because it had a tighter budget, reused FFXIII assets, and had a lot of DLC hooks. It only sold 1.6 million copies worldwide though, which is a steep drop-off from FFXIII(especially in the west) and not to mention it also sold much less than FFX-2 did. So yeah, it made money but those numbers aren’t exactly healthy for the FF brand IMO. And here comes FFXIII-3, another sequel hardly anyone asked for that is going to sell even less than FFXIII-2.

That’s great to hear; I’ll have to give it a go here in the near future. I just finished my third playthrough of Alpha Protocol a little while ago(great game btw), so I’ll probably put it aside for something else. I’m thinking of playing Rayman Origins or Red Dead Redemption next.

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I just realised I left RDR behind for this lol. Oh well, hopefully I get back to it.

Man as impressive as Xenoblade is on the Wii, I wish the Wii was more powerful. These character models and some textures are so, so bad. But I'm loving the hell out of this game. So freaking good.

Isn’t the UK game market pretty dead too right now? Either way, the U.S. market is in very bad shape and these sales numbers(what we’ve got anyway) are pathetic. But I have to suspect, at least partially, that these dismal sales figures are the result of extending this generation beyond its natural life cycle. The Xbox 360 will be 8 years old by the time the next Xbox launches(Xbox only lasted 4 years), as will the PS3 if the PS4 does actually launch in 2014 as rumors suggest. The PS3 and 360 are also still priced like premium consoles, the latter of which has not seen a price drop since September 2007(around the launch of Halo 3)! The Wii has been dead since 2011 and is merely waiting for a burial this fall when WiiU launches. Basically, this generation is running on fumes at this point and I think new consoles are long overdue. Anyways, shamelessly stolen from gaf...

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The UK market is pretty dead yeah. With the demise of GAME (which itself bought out Gamestation before its demise)...the software market is pretty barebones. It;s very depressing walking into stores here. But yes, I agree that the artificial extension of the lifespan of the PS3/360 is partly to blame. Sony of course would love to ride this train now the PS3 has hit a comfortable spot, but really, the market is ready for something new. I guess that's also why we're getting the WiiU. In the end though, lots of things felt so wrong this gen.

The 3DS is actually still tracking ahead of the DS, but if the 3DS doesn’t pick up the pace soon, then it will fall behind the DS sometime within the next few months(where DS sales begin their ascent to the stars). NSMB2 and 3DS XL just came out in North America though, plus there’s a holiday season coming up here pretty soon, so it’ll be interesting to see if the 3DS finally takes off or simply remains as is.[/quote[
It's only a matter of time for it to fall behind the DS which was a sales juggernaut that had an incredibly slow start. But yeah, that combo will be interesting to see along with the holidays.

I think the dedicated handheld market is shrinking though, if only when you consider that the 3DS and Vita will likely fall short of their predecessors in terms of hardware sales. Is there a future still for dedicated handhelds, you ask? I think Nintendo still has a future in the portable space because their IPs are still very strong and they gain virtually nothing by putting their games on smartphones. But Sony? Barring some miracle, I really do think that Vita may end up being their swan song in the dedicated portable market and they will instead concentrate on PlayStation Mobile and their console business.

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100% agreed. It will be interesting to see whether Sony pursue the tablet/smartphones market more aggressively, because as much as those are a threat to dedicated mobiles, they do NOT have Nintendo IPs and so Sony is the one clearly suffering the most from it.

FFXIII-2 made a profit in part because it had a tighter budget, reused FFXIII assets, and had a lot of DLC hooks. It only sold 1.6 million copies worldwide though, which is a steep drop-off from FFXIII(especially in the west) and not to mention it also sold much less than FFX-2 did. So yeah, it made money but those numbers aren’t exactly healthy for the FF brand IMO. And here comes FFXIII-3, another sequel hardly anyone asked for that is going to sell even less than FFXIII-2.

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How the mighty have fallen huh? So sad. I dunno wtf is up with Square-Enix... buying Eidos is probably the only thing keeping them reasonably afloat....

And yeah, regarding a possible TWEWY 2 sequel, well, it will be interesting to see whether they still have screws on their head... because yeah, if it's some iOS crap...I will join in the nutcracking -____-

Man as impressive as Xenoblade is on the Wii, I wish the Wii was more powerful. These character models and some textures are so, so bad. But I'm loving the hell out of this game. So freaking good.

Yeah, I’m hoping the graphics won’t get in the way to the point where I can’t otherwise enjoy the game. The only game that has really grossed me out on the Wii so far is Resident Evil 4, which was really ****ing blurry and covered in jaggies.

Xenoblade 2 or whatever RPG Monolith-Soft works on next will be glorious on WiiU. Can’t wait to see what Retro is cooking up as well.

The UK market is pretty dead yeah. With the demise of GAME (which itself bought out Gamestation before its demise)...the software market is pretty barebones. It;s very depressing walking into stores here. But yes, I agree that the artificial extension of the lifespan of the PS3/360 is partly to blame. Sony of course would love to ride this train now the PS3 has hit a comfortable spot, but really, the market is ready for something new. I guess that's also why we're getting the WiiU. In the end though, lots of things felt so wrong this gen.

2014 sounds like a bad time to launch the PS4, especially when one competitor is launching this fall and the other likely in fall 2013. Launching last hasn't exactly done them any favors if the PS3 and Vita are anything to go by.

This generation brought in some really great ideas and a lot of really bad ones. I can't imagine stuff like on-disc DLC, Day 1 DLC, pre-order DLC, retailer exclusive pre-order DLC, online passes and more to get reined in with the next gen. Things are only going to get crazier from here on in.

How the mighty have fallen huh? So sad. I dunno wtf is up with Square-Enix... buying Eidos is probably the only thing keeping them reasonably afloat....

And yeah, regarding a possible TWEWY 2 sequel, well, it will be interesting to see whether they still have screws on their head... because yeah, if it's some iOS crap...I will join in the nutcracking -____-

The possibility of TWEWY 2 was too good to be true, so I should have expected as much I guess. Maybe we'll get TWEWY 2 on 3DS in due time, just like we'll surely get The Last Remnant 2, Nier 2, or Versus XIII ok we'll eventually get that last one...maybe.

Oh well, maybe Square-Enix won't disappoint with their next countdown. Gee, I wonder what this could be?

Messed up the quoting lol, oops, sorry. I can't deal with this new IGN system, smh.

Lol, most of the time I get an error when I hit the “post reply” button, so it takes at least several minutes or more for my post to show up on the site(and then sometimes, my post just doesn't go through at all). So I’m often left with the option to post again and risk double posting or spam the F5 button for a few more minutes like it’s E3 until my post finally shows up. This new format blows and we should go back.

2014 sounds like a bad time to launch the PS4, especially when one competitor is launching this fall and the other likely in fall 2013. Launching last hasn't exactly done them any favors if the PS3 and Vita are anything to go by.

This generation brought in some really great ideas and a lot of really bad ones. I can't imagine stuff like on-disc DLC, Day 1 DLC, pre-order DLC, retailer exclusive pre-order DLC, online passes and more to get reined in with the next gen. Things are only going to get crazier from here on in.

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100% agreed on all these. Sony's position seems precarious at best and they must make the right moves.

The possibility of TWEWY 2 was too good to be true, so I should have expected as much I guess. Maybe we'll get TWEWY 2 on 3DS in due time, just like we'll surely get The Last Remnant 2, Nier 2, or Versus XIII ok we'll eventually get that last one...maybe.

Oh well, maybe Square-Enix won't disappoint with their next countdown. Gee, I wonder what this could be?

HAHA. Masterful trolling by Square-Enix. At least it doesn't seem like a completely **** port. Some compromises have been made (lul @ two characters on on screen), but I want to hear the new music and such. Maybe there will be teasers for a sequel but that would be foolhardy. S-E are not in the business of making things people want anymore as you've exhibited

Lol, most of the time I get an error when I hit the “post reply” button, so it takes at least several minutes or more for my post to show up on the site(and then sometimes, my post just doesn't go through at all). So I’m often left with the option to post again and risk double posting or spam the F5 button for a few more minutes like it’s E3 until my post finally shows up. This new format blows and we should go back.

Same. It's already confirmed that the Xenoblade team have something cooking up for WiiU, but Retro, well, who knows what they're up to. Maybe designing tracks for Mario Kart 8/Wii U? lulz.

Maybe, but I imagine that they’re hard at work on a project of their own(or more likely, one of Nintendo’s IPs) for the WiiU.

But I'd cry tears of joy for Metroid Prime 4!

As would I, as would I. Hell, I wouldn't mind a 2D Metroid game from them…just keep Sakamoto away from the script and everything will be peachy.

HAHA. Masterful trolling by Square-Enix. At least it doesn't seem like a completely **** port. Some compromises have been made (lul @ two characters on on screen), but I want to hear the new music and such. Maybe there will be teasers for a sequel but that would be foolhardy. S-E are not in the business of making things people want anymore as you've exhibited

What a bizarre sequel. Some of that stuff sounds neat on paper I guess, but the fact that this game will have an even shorter development cycle than FFXIII-2 is cause for concern.

So this video sorta got me hyped for ToX2

The combat system looks very smooth and fun…but it’s a little hard for me to get hyped for this when the first Xillia hasn’t been released here yet.

I just finished Beyond Good and Evil HD on XBLA and just started Rayman Origins(guess I’m in the mood for Michel Ancel games ). My biggest gripes with BG&E were the camera(it’s really bad sometimes) and the combat system(REALLY shallow, and just feels like it’s there because the game had to have a combat system), but otherwise I really enjoyed it. The characters were fun and kind of endearing in a quirky way, the music and atmosphere was great, and I enjoyed exploring Hillys(dungeons, taking pictures, minigames, driving the hovercraft, etc.) even though it was pretty small in scope.

This track is so damn good.

Rayman Origins is stunningly beautiful(native 1080p at 60FPS) on top of just being pretty fun.

What a bizarre sequel. Some of that stuff sounds neat on paper I guess, but the fact that this game will have an even shorter development cycle than FFXIII-2 is cause for concern.

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Well, shorter dev cycle probably makes sense since it'll very likely be the same engine, and the naming suggests that it is even less 'mainline' than XIII-2. At this point they are just milking the FNC/White engine...and we know why, lol.

I just finished Beyond Good and Evil HD on XBLA and just started Rayman Origins(guess I’m in the mood for Michel Ancel games ). My biggest gripes with BG&E were the camera(it’s really bad sometimes) and the combat system(REALLY shallow, and just feels like it’s there because the game had to have a combat system), but otherwise I really enjoyed it. The characters were fun and kind of endearing in a quirky way, the music and atmosphere was great, and I enjoyed exploring Hillys(dungeons, taking pictures, minigames, driving the hovercraft, etc.) even though it was pretty small in scope.

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I remember playing this back then on GC. I was really charmed by it. And yeah, I largely agree. I remember it being a mix of stealth, adventuring, racing etc. It was very varied and well paced, but also pretty darn short. But yeah, combat felt very automated. Glad you enjoyed it though, and I hope we get that sequel.

I wouldn't be surprised. Afterall they are already charging premium on iOS titles so price wouldn't be a barrier.

That would be a serious kick in the balls to their hardcore fans, which means it’s probably going to happen. If S-E feels that iOS is absolutely necessary for a TWEWY sequel, then I hope it would at least be a multi-plat title on 3DS/Vita/iOS.

Well, shorter dev cycle probably makes sense since it'll very likely be the same engine, and the naming suggests that it is even less 'mainline' than XIII-2. At this point they are just milking the FNC/White engine...and we know why, lol.

That much is clear. I think the problem is that FFXIII-2 is much less polished than FFXIII from what I’ve heard, in part because of its shorter development cycle compared to FFXIII. And now this new Lightning game claims to be open world but will have an even shorter turnaround than FFXIII-2? I don’t know, but that doesn’t sound good to me.

But after going over the latest details from Famitsu, it sounds like Lightning Returns is going to be a shorter game than either of its predecessors. LR has a 13 day countdown where each in-game day is about 1~2 hours in real-time, which can be extended or shortened depending on your actions. And as for the open world, I seriously doubt its size will be up to scale with something like Skyrim, Fallout: New Vegas, or GTAIV. Even Dragon’s Dogma, whose world map is tiny compared to the aforementioned games, took me almost twice as many hours to fully explore as LR’s assumed max play time(assuming 2 hours to each day). So who knows, maybe LR being a smaller game will make it possible for the team to complete despite an even shorter development cycle than FFXIII-2.

Indeed I haven't even gotten through Graces f...which I need to buy. But my gut instinct is saying to give ToV another go 'round.

I have a feeling that once you get a taste of Graces F's battle system, it may prove very hard for you to get back into Vesperia(especially when you aren't too fond of Vesperia's battle system to begin with). Give Vesperia another go if you want, but don't force yourself to finish it if you can't get into it(but I really don't think I need to tell you that).

I remember playing this back then on GC. I was really charmed by it. And yeah, I largely agree. I remember it being a mix of stealth, adventuring, racing etc. It was very varied and well paced, but also pretty darn short. But yeah, combat felt very automated. Glad you enjoyed it though, and I hope we get that sequel.

Yeah, it was pretty damn short. Not that I minded I guess, since I picked it up during an XBLA sale for 240 Microsoft points(a little less than $3 I think). And hopefully, we’ll get the sequel on next gen consoles at some point.

And yes, you should get around to playing Rayman Origins.

Oh and look, Versus, not on S-E's TGS lineup....lulz?

It’s getting comical at this point; maybe it’ll be at next year’s TGS(watch it not be at next year’s TGS). But hey, at least Toriyama and co. are still around to bring us another exciting chapter in the FFXIII saga.

Lightning Returns isn't on the list either, but it’s possible that might change as the list gets updated. Dragon Quest X for WiiU is supposed to have a big showing at TGS this year.

Kojima still knows how to tug away at my heartstrings. Do want.

Kojima said that the demo’s specs are aimed for 360 and PS3, but at least some of the stuff in that demo looked way too good for current consoles.

Oh, and did we scare Master_Cain off with our paragraph-long posts or is he hiding from GDI again? I wonder if he has watched this yet since he’s a big MGS fan.

That would be a serious kick in the balls to their hardcore fans, which means it’s probably going to happen. If S-E feels that iOS is absolutely necessary for a TWEWY sequel, then I hope it would at least be a multi-plat title on 3DS/Vita/iOS.

That much is clear. I think the problem is that FFXIII-2 is much less polished than FFXIII from what I’ve heard, in part because of its shorter development cycle compared to FFXIII. And now this new Lightning game claims to be open world but will have an even shorter turnaround than FFXIII-2? I don’t know, but that doesn’t sound good to me.

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Yeah, true enough. Maybe this is the 'Dirge of Cerebrus', or something? I dunno, I haven't been following the details yet since I haven't even played XIII-2 yet. I saw it for a tenner and almost got it, but then I also saw Alan Wake for less and grabbed that instead.

I have a feeling that once you get a taste of Graces F's battle system, it may prove very hard for you to get back into Vesperia(especially when you aren't too fond of Vesperia's battle system to begin with). Give Vesperia another go if you want, but don't force yourself to finish it if you can't get into it(but I really don't think I need to tell you that).

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Honestly, Vesperia isn't as bad as I have made it sound for me. I still enjoyed it, but there's an apparent hype and elevation it gets that drives me up the wall. The majority of Vesperia lovers seems to abhor Abyss for some reason. I guess I can see how though, they're quite different. I just don't GET how you can hate the Abyss cast and then tell me Vesperia's was lovely. Though like Hasina, I actually played Vesperia during a tough period in my life where games were just not doing it for me as they normally do. So that's why I would like to give it a second go before Graces f.

Kojima said that the demo’s specs are aimed for 360 and PS3, but at least some of the stuff in that demo looked way too good for current consoles.

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Yeah, especially the cutscenes. The in-game part of it looks a bit more believable. Like the part where Snake is infiltrating that base...the rock textures remind me of PS360 era, so I guess it's just the cutscenes. Those look darn amazing. The game indeed looks amazing and the open world concept seems interesting with a stealth take. I wonder if it'll be *truly* stealth or if like GS3/4 you can sort of gung-ho your way through tougher segments or when detected. But either, I'm intrigued.

Oh, and did we scare Master_Cain off with our paragraph-long posts or is he hiding from GDI again? I wonder if he has watched this yet since he’s a big MGS fan.

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Well since Master_Cain is a proud member of the Lazy Squad, he may be lurking lol. Either way, I would hope someone would be "brave" enough to break our dialogue of wall texts and multi quoting, ha. But either way, we can still carry this thread ALL by ourselves amirite???!?!!

Yeah, true enough. Maybe this is the 'Dirge of Cerebrus', or something? I dunno, I haven't been following the details yet since I haven't even played XIII-2 yet. I saw it for a tenner and almost got it, but then I also saw Alan Wake for less and grabbed that instead.

Dirge of Cerberus was the first thing that came to mind when this was first announced, but hopefully this won’t turn out that bad lol. I’m seeing a lot of comparisons to Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, which also had a countdown timer and encouraged multiple playthroughs to get the whole story.

I still need to play FFXIII-2 as well, but with Borderlands 2, RE6, and Dishonored on the horizon, I doubt I’ll pick it up anytime soon. My friends and I are practically counting the days until Borderlands 2 comes out.

Honestly, Vesperia isn't as bad as I have made it sound for me. I still enjoyed it, but there's an apparent hype and elevation it gets that drives me up the wall. The majority of Vesperia lovers seems to abhor Abyss for some reason. I guess I can see how though, they're quite different. I just don't GET how you can hate the Abyss cast and then tell me Vesperia's was lovely. Though like Hasina, I actually played Vesperia during a tough period in my life where games were just not doing it for me as they normally do. So that's why I would like to give it a second go before Graces f.

Steven vs. IGN’s Resident Evil board round 2! Joking aside, this certainly gave me a little nostalgia for the good ol’ days on the Resident Evil board.

It might be worth noting that there’s a difference between a likeable character and a well-developed character, even if they’re not mutually exclusive. I think Jade Curtis is a well-developed character because he is logical, intelligent, witty, and his motives make sense – but he’s also an asshole. That’s just how he is and I personally loved his character as is(he is easily one of my favorite Tales of characters period), but I can also see why someone might find him unlikeable or unbearable. Same goes for Luke, Asch, and even certain scenes from the other TotA cast members may lead to some players coming to a similar opinion.

And while I do, overall, prefer TotA’s cast to ToV’s, I didn't find the latter’s cast to be repulsive or offensive(those terms are better reserved for games like Star Ocean 4 and Tales of Graces f). Yuri was a breath of fresh air and still remains my favorite main protagonist in the series by a long shot, and I don’t see that being challenged anytime soon. Vesperia's cast also has pretty good chemistry I think, in both the cutscenes and the skits(Vesperia has the best skits of the Team Symphonia games if only because they're actually voiced).

Just my 2 cents.

DQX is the first mainline DQ I'm going to have to skip entirely. I'm just at the point where I want a DQVIIr or DQXI that is more like the traditional DQ experience (notIX like either).

Yeah, I doubt I’ll be picking up DQX as well, and I wish that the series would go back to its roots rather than dabble with multiplayer.

Yeah, especially the cutscenes. The in-game part of it looks a bit more believable. Like the part where Snake is infiltrating that base...the rock textures remind me of PS360 era, so I guess it's just the cutscenes. Those look darn amazing. The game indeed looks amazing and the open world concept seems interesting with a stealth take. I wonder if it'll be *truly* stealth or if like GS3/4 you can sort of gung-ho your way through tougher segments or when detected. But either, I'm intrigued.

Dat lens flare. The cutscenes do look amazing though.

Ground Zeroes is a sequel to Peace Walker, though the open world aspect of GZ is a stark contrast to Peace Walker’s bite-sized missions(makes sense since PW is a portable game). And this is just speculation from the trailer, but Big Boss’ assault rifle is holstered(you can see it on him) which makes me think that we’ll have limited equipment load outs on missions like in Peace Walker. The controls also look very similar to MGS4/Peace Walker, and going by the past few games, I imagine that players will have the option to go Rambo in the event they get spotted and the alarm is sounded.

Well since Master_Cain is a proud member of the Lazy Squad, he may be lurking lol. Either way, I would hope someone would be "brave" enough to break our dialogue of wall texts and multi quoting, ha. But either way, we can still carry this thread ALL by ourselves amirite???!?!!

Well this has mostly been a two person conversation for a while now, so I think we can hold down the fort for a little while longer.

Vita had its lowest month ever(Vita sales < 40k) and the 3DS barely gets a bump despite the release of the 3DS XL, NSMB2, and KH: DDD. NSMB2’s sales seem lowish to me(Darksiders 2 outsold it, which also underperformed) and KH: DDD did about as well as KH:BBS. I don’t know, this…does not look good. The holiday season is almost here, but the 3DS looks like a system that’s on its way out, while the Vita looks like a system that has already been replaced by its successor. Hopefully things pick up for the U.S.games industry soon.

Honestly, Vesperia isn't as bad as I have made it sound for me. I still enjoyed it, but there's an apparent hype and elevation it gets that drives me up the wall. The majority of Vesperia lovers seems to abhor Abyss for some reason. I guess I can see how though, they're quite different. I just don't GET how you can hate the Abyss cast and then tell me Vesperia's was lovely. Though like Hasina, I actually played Vesperia during a tough period in my life where games were just not doing it for me as they normally do. So that's why I would like to give it a second go before Graces f.

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Oh, you too? I knew you weren't very motivated with playing it but I thought it was due to being busy with schoolwork than anything else, heh.

I was kind of playing the PS3 version (not recently, more like a while back) just to see if my feelings would change, but...they haven't really improved that much, really. <_<;;

And while I do, overall, prefer TotA’s cast to ToV’s, I didn't find the latter’s cast to be repulsive or offensive(those terms are better reserved for games like Star Ocean 4 and Tales of Graces f). Yuri was a breath of fresh air and still remains my favorite main protagonist in the series by a long shot, and I don’t see that being challenged anytime soon. Vesperia's cast also has pretty good chemistry I think, in both the cutscenes and the skits(Vesperia has the best skits of the Team Symphonia games if only because they're actually voiced).

Just my 2 cents.

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Well the thing is that Abyss still had voiced skits; it was only taken away in the localized version due to budget issues. I've seen quite a few translated skits (as well as playing the whole game in JP, of course) and they really made all the difference. So, it wouldn't be fair to suggest that Vesperia's skits were "better" because that game happened to work with a bigger localization budget than Abyss did. So I would say they'd still be tied in that regard.

Dirge of Cerberus was the first thing that came to mind when this was first announced, but hopefully this won’t turn out that bad lol. I’m seeing a lot of comparisons to Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, which also had a countdown timer and encouraged multiple playthroughs to get the whole story.

It might be worth noting that there’s a difference between a likeable character and a well-developed character, even if they’re not mutually exclusive. I think Jade Curtis is a well-developed character because he is logical, intelligent, witty, and his motives make sense – but he’s also an asshole. That’s just how he is and I personally loved his character as is(he is easily one of my favorite Tales of characters period), but I can also see why someone might find him unlikeable or unbearable. Same goes for Luke, Asch, and even certain scenes from the other TotA cast members may lead to some players coming to a similar opinion.

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Yeah, I suppose it's something of an acquired taste with the Abyss characters. I think that's why it's so divisive. They definitely all make decisions/ take actions that sometimes come across as unlikable and/or offensive, but I don't think their actual characters are such. I think if more people analysed the characters and their actions in proper context they might catch that. I enjoy that they all have deep and dark demons they wrestle with and how many of them put on a facade to mask it. I love the dichotomy of that and I think it brings some of them out of their superficial archetypes. I wish Vesperia did that more often with its own characters in terms of actual personalities and not just with plot points.

And while I do, overall, prefer TotA’s cast to ToV’s, I didn't find the latter’s cast to be repulsive or offensive(those terms are better reserved for games like Star Ocean 4 and Tales of Graces f). Yuri was a breath of fresh air and still remains my favorite main protagonist in the series by a long shot, and I don’t see that being challenged anytime soon. Vesperia's cast also has pretty good chemistry I think, in both the cutscenes and the skits(Vesperia has the best skits of the Team Symphonia games if only because they're actually voiced).

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I honestly found offensive things about the characters. I heavily dislike Rita in particular, but yeah, like I said in NEOGAF, I only found Yuri and Raven to be decent characters. Judith, I was neutral to. The others I didn't care for. I do agree that they have good chemistry overall, I just wish that included me

The skits were pretty nice I agree. But yeah I played the JPN version of Abyss with voiced skits, and like Hassy, I'd say they're about on par.

The controls also look very similar to MGS4/Peace Walker, and going by the past few games, I imagine that players will have the option to go Rambo in the event they get spotted and the alarm is sounded.

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Cool. Should be interesting to see. Open world would suggest endless possibilities so options would be nice indeed.

Vita had its lowest month ever(Vita sales < 40k) and the 3DS barely gets a bump despite the release of the 3DS XL, NSMB2, and KH: DDD. NSMB2’s sales seem lowish to me(Darksiders 2 outsold it, which also underperformed) and KH: DDD did about as well as KH:BBS. I don’t know, this…does not look good. The holiday season is almost here, but the 3DS looks like a system that’s on its way out, while the Vita looks like a system that has already been replaced by its successor. Hopefully things pick up for the U.S.games industry soon.

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It's worth noting though that the 3DS is sort of still ahead of the original DS. It is however still alarming how little traction the system is gaining considering all the bullet point additions like the revision and NSMB2. NSMB2 in particular was rushed to offset the bad start. We shall see though. Apparently Darksiders 2 isn't that great? I've not heard amazing things from people. Oh and KH3D...I think we should definitely wait to see what kind of legs it has. 358/2 Days had legs that got it close to 1m, while BBS stunted at about 400k iirc. So it could go either way. Maybe the holiday will do something for it. Same with NSMB2. The original started at 250k initially too, so let's not be too hasty. The Vita...well that will be needed a damn miracle. The US market overall does seem anemic, but it could be a lull or transition period too so I'm trying not to panic myself lol.

Oh, you too? I knew you weren't very motivated with playing it but I thought it was due to being busy with schoolwork than anything else, heh.

I was kind of playing the PS3 version (not recently, more like a while back) just to see if my feelings would change, but...they haven't really improved that much, really. <_<;;

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Yeah, I was very busy but it was when I was down there working a LOT and not really having much time to myself. This was actually before I started my Masters. But yeah, I wasn't enjoying games overall like I used to. That's why I'm willing to try ToV again, hopefully I'll like it a lil bit better than you. I think I am actually even more lukewarm on it than you, lol.

Okay guys...I think I'm back -- hopefully! Everything seemed to have gone well with the reception, thankfully, so I'm finally back to (semi-)normal life again.

Congrats on having a good reception and a return to a semi-normal life again.

Well the thing is that Abyss still had voiced skits; it was only taken away in the localized version due to budget issues. I've seen quite a few translated skits (as well as playing the whole game in JP, of course) and they really made all the difference. So, it wouldn't be fair to suggest that Vesperia's skits were "better" because that game happened to work with a bigger localization budget than Abyss did. So I would say they'd still be tied in that regard.

That’s true; I didn’t take the JPN version of TotA into account when I said that. I guess for me, it ultimately doesn’t matter because I haven’t played the JPN version of TotA, nor have I watched any skits from that version either.

Well let's hope it's even half as good as Dragon Quarter, ha!

Never played it, but I guess I’ll take your word for it.

I've gotten a couple of PMs about that avatar. It's just the album cover of one of my fave artists lol

Oh and lol when you linked that thread, I thought you'd put a RE thread cuz that is pretty tame compared to when I get going about RE4!

It’s more about the fact that you changed your avatar because I didn't recognize you at first, since I’ve associated you with Dark Samus w/Link’s hat for a while now.

Lol that was tame, though seeing you get dog piled by multiple users in a debate is something that happened to you a lot on the RE board post-RE4.

I honestly found offensive things about the characters. I heavily dislike Rita in particular, but yeah, like I said in NEOGAF, I only found Yuri and Raven to be decent characters. Judith, I was neutral to. The others I didn't care for. I do agree that they have good chemistry overall, I just wish that included me

Hmmm fair enough. As I said before, I look forward to seeing how you react to Graces f’s cast when you get around to playing it. If Vesperia’s cast is that low to you then…well…good luck with f’s cast.

Cool. Should be interesting to see. Open world would suggest endless possibilities so options would be nice indeed.

Yeah, I definitely agree. I’m also curious to know if GZ will have a heavy focus on co-op like Peace Walker did, or if it will be more of a single player adventure in the same vein as MGS1-MGS4(single player preferably for me). I imagine there will probably be some form of Metal Gear Online in GZ though; just a matter of whether it’s co-op or competitive(or both).

It's worth noting though that the 3DS is sort of still ahead of the original DS. It is however still alarming how little traction the system is gaining considering all the bullet point additions like the revision and NSMB2. NSMB2 in particular was rushed to offset the bad start. We shall see though. Apparently Darksiders 2 isn't that great? I've not heard amazing things from people. Oh and KH3D...I think we should definitely wait to see what kind of legs it has. 358/2 Days had legs that got it close to 1m, while BBS stunted at about 400k iirc. So it could go either way. Maybe the holiday will do something for it. Same with NSMB2. The original started at 250k initially too, so let's not be too hasty. The Vita...well that will be needed a damn miracle. The US market overall does seem anemic, but it could be a lull or transition period too so I'm trying not to panic myself lol.

Not to go off tangent here and correct me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t NSMB2 doing noticeably worse than NSMB DS over the same period of time in Japan? NSMB2’s reception seems almost lukewarm compared to its predecessors, which makes me wonder if it will have the same staying and selling power that the previous NSMB games both enjoyed(and I’m not saying that NSMB2 won’t have legs – just perhaps weaker than the other two games).

But you’re right that the 3DS is still ahead, and we are just now about to enter the fall. The holiday season and the months that follow should be very telling of where the 3DS and Vita are going to end up.

As for Darksiders 2, I’ve heard that it starts out pretty good but falls apart during/after the second world. It sounds like Vigil ran out of time, money, and/or ideas and the game suffered badly for it.

Bayonetta 2!!!!!!!!! **** Yeah!!!!!!

One would think that the announcement of Bayonetta 2 would have mostly generated unanimous excitement amongst fans of the first game, especially since it has been known for some time now that Sega had cancelled the game. It did for me anyway, when I woke up this morning and learned that the sequel I thought we’d never get was coming to Wii U. And what’s more, it was Nintendo that resurrected the game from the dead(Nintendo is publishing Bayonetta 2 now) , so much respect to them for that.

And again, you’d expect that this announcement would please a lot of people that enjoyed the first game. Instead, Bayonetta 2’s reveal has resulted in a massive uproar of disappointment and groaning on twitter, facebook, youtube, etc., with such remarks as “**** you Nintendo” or “why isn’t this for a real console?” I guess I can somewhat understand some of the reasons for this backlash, but all of this ignorant, ungrateful, and inflammatory bull**** makes no sense to me. Without Nintendo, there would be no Bayonetta 2 whatsoever for any system. Isn’t it better that Bayonetta 2 got a new lease on life rather than being another casualty of this console generation?

That’s true; I didn’t take the JPN version of TotA into account when I said that. I guess for me, it ultimately doesn’t matter because I haven’t played the JPN version of TotA, nor have I watched any skits from that version either.

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Yeah, it's Bamco's fault and not the fault of TotA. It's a shame cuz they got good English VAs for the game. I'm glad to have experienced the JPN version, no doubt.

Lol that was tame, though seeing you get dog piled by multiple users in a debate is something that happened to you a lot on the RE board post-RE4.

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lol Really? I may be remembering wrong (it's been a while!) but I think as a full time regular I got a lot of passes on my opinions (being that no one could use the 'lololol u Re j00zt a n00b wHo h8s n0 plai da Oldar gaems11!!!'. They were like 100% more hostile towards the newbies (that favoured RE4). I know I used to stick up a lot for RE4, but I actually don't remember that many people giving me **** for it outside of a couple of very adamant users. But well, that's all in the past I guess, lol.

Hmmm fair enough. As I said before, I look forward to seeing how you react to Graces f’s cast when you get around to playing it. If Vesperia’s cast is that low to you then…well…good luck with f’s cast.

Yeah, I definitely agree. I’m also curious to know if GZ will have a heavy focus on co-op like Peace Walker did, or if it will be more of a single player adventure in the same vein as MGS1-MGS4(single player preferably for me). I imagine there will probably be some form of Metal Gear Online in GZ though; just a matter of whether it’s co-op or competitive(or both).

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It'd probably have a very robust online multiplayer component so I'm betting on both, definitely. It's been a real direction the series has been taking, though personally, I'm only really there for the single player (and coop).

Not to go off tangent here and correct me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t NSMB2 doing noticeably worse than NSMB DS over the same period of time in Japan? NSMB2’s reception seems almost lukewarm compared to its predecessors, which makes me wonder if it will have the same staying and selling power that the previous NSMB games both enjoyed(and I’m not saying that NSMB2 won’t have legs – just perhaps weaker than the other two games).

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Yeah it is falling significantly behind in Japan. And I don't think it'll catch up to the Wii version, let alone the DS version which shifted like 6 million copies. I think part of the problem is that NSMB2 feels like a rehash. I haven't played it to know if it plays like one though, but it does seem so.

And again, you’d expect that this announcement would please a lot of people that enjoyed the first game. Instead, Bayonetta 2’s reveal has resulted in a massive uproar of disappointment and groaning on twitter, facebook, youtube, etc., with such remarks as “**** you Nintendo” or “why isn’t this for a real console?” I guess I can somewhat understand some of the reasons for this backlash, but all of this ignorant, ungrateful, and inflammatory bull**** makes no sense to me. Without Nintendo, there would be no Bayonetta 2 whatsoever for any system. Isn’t it better that Bayonetta 2 got a new lease on life rather than being another casualty of this console generation?

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Yeah, it just comes off as immature, irrational fanboy drivel. There's no reason to be upset. Most people knew about the cancellation of the project, and as you say, the reason this exists is because of Nintendo. If there should be uproar, then it should be directed at their favoured manufacturers for passing on the publishing deal that Nintendo took upon, since their loyalty to their platform clearly matters more than anything. Basically, what Nintendo has done is for the good of gaming, and you'd expect people to see the forest for the trees.

Anyway Bayonetta 2 *** yeah! Can't wait etc etc. I am a bit concerned Kamiya is not directing though, but at least he is supervising. His other WiiU game also catches my attention. I guess the Wii U is starting to grab me again smh.

Oh btw I completed Alan Wake today! Pretty good game! I think the story could have been better written and realised (the pacing of the story does very little to build up suspense/tension and the manuscripts are poorly written though, I guess that the point in that case (?)), but the atmosphere is truly incredible and there's a genuine sense of dread at times. I had a great time playing through it! Is the DLC any good?

lol Really? I may be remembering wrong (it's been a while!) but I think as a full time regular I got a lot of passes on my opinions (being that no one could use the 'lololol u Re j00zt a n00b wHo h8s n0 plai da Oldar gaems11!!!'. They were like 100% more hostile towards the newbies (that favoured RE4). I know I used to stick up a lot for RE4, but I actually don't remember that many people giving me **** for it outside of a couple of very adamant users. But well, that's all in the past I guess, lol.

It’s probably just me remembering a few overly defensive posters giving you a hard time in almost every RE4 thread lol. I haven’t been to that board in years and I’m almost tempted to take a peek and see what everyone there thinks of RE6(and if RE4 is still treated like the hell spawn of Lucifer). I’ve actually seen BigG753 on GAF and he doesn’t sound like he’s very happy with the latest RE6 demo, along with a lot of other posters in the demo thread. Have you played the public demo yet? I've only played Leon's and Chris' sections so far, but I think I might cancel my pre-order and get X-Com: Enemy Unknown instead.

It'd probably have a very robust online multiplayer component so I'm betting on both, definitely. It's been a real direction the series has been taking, though personally, I'm only really there for the single player (and coop).

Every MGS game since Subsistence has had some form of multiplayer, so it makes sense that Ground Zeroes will continue that trend. Have you played Peace Walker btw? If not, then the HD collections are where it’s at(720p, 60 fps, better controls, and online play without the need for ad-hoc).

Yeah it is falling significantly behind in Japan. And I don't think it'll catch up to the Wii version, let alone the DS version which shifted like 6 million copies. I think part of the problem is that NSMB2 feels like a rehash. I haven't played it to know if it plays like one though, but it does seem so.

No, I don’t think NSMB2 has a chance of catching either version in Japan. This also makes me wonder where NSMBU will end up when all is said and done. It won’t have the benefit of an already established userbase like the other three games did and it’s launching only a few months after NSMB2. But at the same time, NSMBU does look more interesting than NSMB2 and it’s obviously going to be Wii U’s biggest seller this year(and possibly the year after).

Yeah, it just comes off as immature, irrational fanboy drivel. There's no reason to be upset. Most people knew about the cancellation of the project, and as you say, the reason this exists is because of Nintendo. If there should be uproar, then it should be directed at their favoured manufacturers for passing on the publishing deal that Nintendo took upon, since their loyalty to their platform clearly matters more than anything. Basically, what Nintendo has done is for the good of gaming, and you'd expect people to see the forest for the trees.

Yeah, it’s weird that the mob are taking their torches and pitchforks to Platinum Games/Nintendo rather than Microsoft, Sony, Sega, and 360/PS3 owners that didn’t buy Bayonetta. I can understand that some people don’t want a Wii U or even hate Nintendo(irrational as it may be), but given Bayonetta 2’s unique circumstances, the preferences of fanboys and console warriors don’t count. It’s console war nonsense, and it’s just sad that some people would rather lash out and complain than appreciate what Nintendo has done here.

Also, you would think that Nintendo had “stolen” something big like GTAV or MGS: GZ given how much backlash is coming out of this announcement. But as it turns out, people are drawing lines in the sand over what was a dead sequel to a game that barely sold more than a million copies.

Anyway Bayonetta 2 *** yeah! Can't wait etc etc. I am a bit concerned Kamiya is not directing though, but at least he is supervising. His other WiiU game also catches my attention. I guess the Wii U is starting to grab me again smh.

I’m not too worried, since Hashimoto worked on the first Bayonetta and Kamiya will still be heavily involved with the game going by his PR statement. The Wonderful 101 does indeed look wonderful, and along with Pikmin 3 and Bayonetta 2, gives me something to look forward to when I do eventually get a Wii U(I’m not getting one at launch).

Oh btw I completed Alan Wake today! Pretty good game! I think the story could have been better written and realised (the pacing of the story does very little to build up suspense/tension and the manuscripts are poorly written though, I guess that the point in that case (?)), but the atmosphere is truly incredible and there's a genuine sense of dread at times. I had a great time playing through it! Is the DLC any good?

I'm not entirely sure if the story’s problems(especially the manuscripts) are more related to Sam Lake’s writing or that Alan is supposed to be a terrible writer(I’m guessing the former). It was a great game though; really loved the atmosphere and environments(forests <3). As for the DLC, I got the first one for free with the collector’s edition and the second one on sale during Christmas I think. I had a good time with both of them, but they’re both pretty short from what I remembered. There’s also American Nightmare on XBLA, which I’ve been meaning to pick up but keep getting sidetracked by other releases.

-No FFXII in sight-ugh@#7 spot going to Skyrim. -Fallout 3 at #10 while Fallout: New Vegas is at #89.-Why is trash like Fable 2 anywhere near the top of this list? It’s not even top 200 worthy, let alone worthy of standing next to New Vegas.

Yep, good for them that they reached their goal as quickly as they did, especially when J.E. Sawyer thought that there was only a 50/50 chance of reaching $1.1 million. Best of luck to those guys; hopefully they can meet their stretch goals and release something good.

Also I saw Alpha Protocol for £5...should I?

At that price, I’d say go for it. It’s an underappreciated gem that has a little of that Obsidian “jank,” but I had fun with with it and it does some pretty cool stuff that you don’t see in games very often. Go for pistols, stealth, and technical aptitude for maximum brokenness.

Every MGS game since Subsistence has had some form of multiplayer, so it makes sense that Ground Zeroes will continue that trend. Have you played Peace Walker btw? If not, then the HD collections are where it’s at(720p, 60 fps, better controls, and online play without the need for ad-hoc).

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Not yet. I think I might have to soon enough since it's supposed to be really good.

Also, you would think that Nintendo had “stolen” something big like GTAV or MGS: GZ given how much backlash is coming out of this announcement. But as it turns out, people are drawing lines in the sand over what was a dead sequel to a game that barely sold more than a million copies.

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LMAO, exactly. I mean calm yo tits. It's not like anyone was expecting a sequel anyway...

I’m not too worried, since Hashimoto worked on the first Bayonetta and Kamiya will still be heavily involved with the game going by his PR statement. The Wonderful 101 does indeed look wonderful, and along with Pikmin 3 and Bayonetta 2, gives me something to look forward to when I do eventually get a Wii U(I’m not getting one at launch).

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Yeah, I'm definitely not getting one at launch too -- no killer aps whatsoever. But at least the system is appealing in some ways now.

I'm not entirely sure if the story’s problems(especially the manuscripts) are more related to Sam Lake’s writing or that Alan is supposed to be a terrible writer(I’m guessing the former). It was a great game though; really loved the atmosphere and environments(forests <3). As for the DLC, I got the first one for free with the collector’s edition and the second one on sale during Christmas I think. I had a good time with both of them, but they’re both pretty short from what I remembered. There’s also American Nightmare on XBLA, which I’ve been meaning to pick up but keep getting sidetracked by other releases.

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I think I can get behind the idea that he is a terribad writer and that would be some kinda twisted irony that I'd appreciate, but given the trends with videogame writing, well I think it's probably the former indeed. This is a far cry from the stories in Lost Odyssey which was written by an actual novelist.

But yeah agreed, the forests were so well done! And I might have to check the DLCs even though I hate DLCs lol.

Yep, good for them that they reached their goal as quickly as they did, especially when J.E. Sawyer thought that there was only a 50/50 chance of reaching $1.1 million. Best of luck to those guys; hopefully they can meet their stretch goals and release something good.

At that price, I’d say go for it. It’s an underappreciated gem that has a little of that Obsidian “jank,” but I had fun with with it and it does some pretty cool stuff that you don’t see in games very often. Go for pistols, stealth, and technical aptitude for maximum brokenness.

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Yeah, I think I'm going to pick it up then. But I've dropped Xenoblade (because it's humongous!!!) and completed Alan Wake/ Mario&Luigi:BIS/what was left of Radiant Historia, so I should probably get back to that epic game before I start up Alpha Protocol. Oh and strategy noted. Stealth breaking a game's system sounds all kinds of lolz.

I saw that RPG list too, can't really comment on most of them but I was glad to see Super Mario RPG up there Woo~!

Yeah I kinda wish Abyss was up there too, but ehh, it's not really a well-loved game in the west, unfortunately. I was actually half-expecting Vesperia given all the praise it's gotten from most Western news sites.

Also surprised at the lack of Valkyrie Profile, did they all but forget that game existed? (Speaking of which...I finally made a Backloggery account here, feel free to comment [and scold me] if you like. )

Anyone keeping up with Xillia 2 news? Yeah so like, pretty much the entire cast is coming back with a whole wardrobe change...also some story tidbits are trickling out, though I'll refrain from mentioning anything here since it kinda relates to some spoilers from Xillia 1.

EDIT: Whoooaaa it's officially been TEN YEARS since I've joined these boards! I deserve some kind of medal.

Yeah I kinda wish Abyss was up there too, but ehh, it's not really a well-loved game in the west, unfortunately. I was actually half-expecting Vesperia given all the praise it's gotten from most Western news sites.

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Agreed. I think with time the vitriol thrown Abyss' way has even increased. Oh well. Vesperia and Symphonia I think standout more because they were on more RPG-starved systems. PS2 has a looooot of great RPGs, so Abyss had more to live up to, I'm guessing, because really...

Also surprised at the lack of Valkyrie Profile, did they all but forget that game existed? (Speaking of which...I finally made a Backloggery account here, feel free to comment [and scold me] if you like. )

Anyone keeping up with Xillia 2 news? Yeah so like, pretty much the entire cast is coming back with a whole wardrobe change...also some story tidbits are trickling out, though I'll refrain from mentioning anything here since it kinda relates to some spoilers from Xillia 1.

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Yeah, I think as Yggy said before, it's hard to keep up with Xillia 2 if you haven't played Xillia 1. I only keep up with the gameplay trailers/release dates kinda info.

I'm still looking forward to RE6, but the demo was average at best and needs a lot of work. Luckily no screen tearing to be found. After finishing RE5 coop with my brother, it was quite shocking to find how unpolished this felt in comparison -- camera is waaaaay too close to the character preventing you from gaining an appreciable sense of location and place in relation to environments and characters/enemies. It just feels off. Even the new melee mechanic feels clunky, though I like that it can be triggered anytime. I should probably stay away from RE4 until after I finish RE6, lol.

LMAO, exactly. I mean calm yo tits. It's not like anyone was expecting a sequel anyway...

Indeed true. I also think it’s just sad to see some people say that they’d have actually preferred that Bayonetta 2 remained dead rather than be revived as a Wii U exclusive. There’s going to be a lot of tears if Platinum and Nintendo form a long-term relationship next gen, which is entirely possible now that Sega is done with Platinum.

Yeah, I'm definitely not getting one at launch too -- no killer aps whatsoever. But at least the system is appealing in some ways now.

Rayman Legends looked awesome, but that recent bit of news about Murphy taking up a big chunk of the game really killed a lot of my hype(sucks too because Rayman Origins was great). ZombiU is a bit of wild card: it could turn out well(a real survival horror game with Dark Souls inspiration really revs my engines) but there’s a sinking feeling that it could end up like Red Steel. Guess we’ll see how they turn out.

Agreed.

Tales-wise, they also include Tales of Destiny PS1 -_- but skip Eternia and they skip Abyss too...

No Shin Megami Tensei I/II/III (esp. III), no Suikoden V, no Valkyrie Profile...yeah. Putting the WORST Mario and Luigi game there and not the superior 1st and 3rd. The awful Jade Empire etc etc etc

IGN’s never going to live down that 9.9 they gave Jade Empire are they? But yeah, there are some strange choices on the list as well as some glaring omissions.

THEY DID!!!

Yep, it looks like things are going well for them so far!

Yeah, I think I'm going to pick it up then. But I've dropped Xenoblade (because it's humongous!!!) and completed Alan Wake/ Mario&Luigi:BIS/what was left of Radiant Historia, so I should probably get back to that epic game before I start up Alpha Protocol. Oh and strategy noted. Stealth breaking a game's system sounds all kinds of lolz.

I still have Xenoblade inside the plastic wrapping; I just need to work up the courage to start it up.

Yeah I kinda wish Abyss was up there too, but ehh, it's not really a well-loved game in the west, unfortunately. I was actually half-expecting Vesperia given all the praise it's gotten from most Western news sites.

It’s not that shocking given that Vesperia currently sits at 79% on Metacritic(hate the site but still), and IGN only gave it a high 7 or a low 8 themselves if I recall correctly. It’s well liked by RPG fans in general, but I don’t think the western media really cared about it that much. Console JRPGs in particular haven’t reviewed well in the west this generation, and only 3 such games made IGN’s list: Xenoblade, Demon’s Souls, and Dark Souls.

Anyone keeping up with Xillia 2 news? Yeah so like, pretty much the entire cast is coming back with a whole wardrobe change...also some story tidbits are trickling out, though I'll refrain from mentioning anything here since it kinda relates to some spoilers from Xillia 1.

Nope, I’m still waiting on Xillia 1, so I’m pretty much on blackout when it comes to anything regarding Xillia 2.

EDIT: Whoooaaa it's officially been TEN YEARS since I've joined these boards! I deserve some kind of medal.

Congrats, I think Steven’s got enough medals to cover you.

Steven's RE6 impressions

While I haven’t given the demo another go yet, your impressions of Leon and Chris’ campaigns more or less mirror my own. Chris’ demo in particular was generic and boring; it felt like I had just been dumped into this year’s latest military shooter. The frustrating camera and restrictive FOV are still ever present, and going by some screencaps I’ve seen from the final game, there doesn’t appear to be any way to pull the camera back.

Anyways, I’ve gone ahead and switched my RE6 preorder to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. My friends and I aren’t even finished with playthrough 1 of Borderlands 2 yet, and both Dishonored and XCOM will be released only a week after RE6. I’ll probably pick up RE6 later this year, but for now I’m sitting out.

So damn pumped that there’s some more content on the way for Dragon’s Dogma next year(expansion + free hard mode and speed run mode). Don’t let me down Hideaki Itsuno and friends; the wind is pushing meeeee!!!

Indeed true. I also think it’s just sad to see some people say that they’d have actually preferred that Bayonetta 2 remained dead rather than be revived as a Wii U exclusive. There’s going to be a lot of tears if Platinum and Nintendo form a long-term relationship next gen, which is entirely possible now that Sega is done with Platinum.

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I can actually see that happening. Platinum will be the new Monolithsoft

Legends looked awesome, but that recent bit of news about Murphy taking up a big chunk of the game really killed a lot of my hype(sucks too because Rayman Origins was great). ZombiU is a bit of wild card: it could turn out well(a real survival horror game with Dark Souls inspiration really revs my engines) but there’s a sinking feeling that it could end up like Red Steel. Guess we’ll see how they turn out.

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Well at least it's not Rabbids. Can we say goodbye to those awful creatures once and for all? And yeah with ZombiU, the more I see of it, the more I like. Though it's obviously a very budgeted title. But yeah, it's hard not to draw parallels with Red Steel and generally what Ubisoft Nintendo exclusives generally are like.

While I haven’t given the demo another go yet, your impressions of Leon and Chris’ campaigns more or less mirror my own. Chris’ demo in particular was generic and boring; it felt like I had just been dumped into this year’s latest military shooter. The frustrating camera and restrictive FOV are still ever present, and going by some screencaps I’ve seen from the final game, there doesn’t appear to be any way to pull the camera back.

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Yeah, sounds like none of that has changed, but impressions of the final game (from those who got it early) appear more positive than with the demo so...here's hoping lol

Anyways, I’ve gone ahead and switched my RE6 preorder to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. My friends and I aren’t even finished with playthrough 1 of Borderlands 2 yet, and both Dishonored and XCOM will be released only a week after RE6. I’ll probably pick up RE6 later this year, but for now I’m sitting out.

So damn pumped that there’s some more content on the way for Dragon’s Dogma next year(expansion + free hard mode and speed run mode). Don’t let me down Hideaki Itsuno and friends; the wind is pushing meeeee!!!

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You can sit it out; I think I'll suffer through it and let you know how that goes because my brother is interested in it. But you gotta let me know about this XCOM and Borderlands thingies. I've heard of 'em but have no idea what they are *really* like.

Cool about Dragon's Dogma. I'd probably be looking for my copy if I didn't already have titles to buy in the mean time. I need to quickly snag a copy of Tales of Graces f because, well, I managed to get my PS3 in working order again, huzzah!

I can actually see that happening. Platinum will be the new Monolithsoft

If Nintendo is willing to indulge them past W101 and Bayonetta 2, then there’s a good chance it’ll happen. I think they’ll still retain their independence as a private studio, but Nintendo would be a good safety net to have going into the next generation.

Well at least it's not Rabbids. Can we say goodbye to those awful creatures once and for all? And yeah with ZombiU, the more I see of it, the more I like. Though it's obviously a very budgeted title. But yeah, it's hard not to draw parallels with Red Steel and generally what Ubisoft Nintendo exclusives generally are like.

There’s a Rabbids game coming out at launch(and Legends is apparently launch window now), so they’re still alive and well. But yeah, I never saw their appeal either and I wouldn’t be upset if Ubisoft euthanized the little menaces.

At the very least, ZombiU seems to be previewing much better than Red Steel did at this point. It also helps that it isn’t trying to clumsily integrate first-person sword fights and gun battles with an unconventional and ill-equipped controller. Not to say that ZombiU is in the clear now(Red Steel suffered from more than just awful controls), but I think ZombiU looks much more promising than Red Steel post E3 2006 ever did.

Yeah, sounds like none of that has changed, but impressions of the final game (from those who got it early) appear more positive than with the demo so...here's hoping lol

It seems that one’s enjoyment of RE6 hinges largely on understanding and appreciating the game's new mechanics. But even a lot of the positive impressions don’t make any concessions for what RE6 does wrong, and of course, there are some impressions that don’t paint a very rosy picture of RE6 at all. Everything I’ve read thus far seems to indicate that RE6 is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and stretched across 4 campaigns, is probably too padded and bloated for its own good.

And while it’s hardly surprising, the reviews thus far have been all over the place.

You can sit it out; I think I'll suffer through it and let you know how that goes because my brother is interested in it. But you gotta let me know about this XCOM and Borderlands thingies. I've heard of 'em but have no idea what they are *really* like.

Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are fps games with lots of loot(all of which is randomly generated), questing, large zones, and dungeon crawling. There are four classes to play with, each has their own action skill(summoning a turret, dual-wielding guns, turning invisible, etc.) and skill trees that you can put points into as you level up. Both games have their fair share of flaws(though Borderlands 2 addresses a good number of the first game’s flaws), but my friends and I have had a good time with this series.

Turn-based strategy games are a rare breed this generation, but XCOM: Enemy Unknown looks awesome from the footage I’ve seen. I’ve not played the original myself, but Firaxis is very passionate about XCOM and is determined to deliver a great strategy game that does the XCOM series justice. Between this and Dishonored, I’ll be in heaven on October 9th.

Cool about Dragon's Dogma. I'd probably be looking for my copy if I didn't already have titles to buy in the mean time. I need to quickly snag a copy of Tales of Graces f because, well, I managed to get my PS3 in working order again, huzzah!

I imagine Dragon’s Dogma will get a Gold/Ultimate/Super/whatever edition sometime down the road, so there’s probably no need to rush in if your backlog is huge.Good stuff on getting your PS3 fixed; it's time to add Graces f to ye olde backlog.

There’s a Rabbids game coming out at launch(and Legends is apparently launch window now), so they’re still alive and well. But yeah, I never saw their appeal either and I wouldn’t be upset if Ubisoft euthanized the little menaces.

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Ugh really? Damn, I knew it was too good to be true that they'd kill off those awful creatures!

At the very least, ZombiU seems to be previewing much better than Red Steel did at this point. It also helps that it isn’t trying to clumsily integrate first-person sword fights and gun battles with an unconventional and ill-equipped controller. Not to say that ZombiU is in the clear now(Red Steel suffered from more than just awful controls), but I think ZombiU looks much more promising than Red Steel post E3 2006 ever did.

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Oh definitely. I think the real hype Red Steel was riding on were the controls and the bullshots. Once people saw both were kinda bad when it was finally showed off in true form, then that's when we knew it was going to be a turd. ZombiU on the other hand has been looking better and better. Much better than that earlier FPS game they proposed.

Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are fps games with lots of loot(all of which is randomly generated), questing, large zones, and dungeon crawling. There are four classes to play with, each has their own action skill(summoning a turret, dual-wielding guns, turning invisible, etc.) and skill trees that you can put points into as you level up. Both games have their fair share of flaws(though Borderlands 2 addresses a good number of the first game’s flaws), but my friends and I have had a good time with this series.

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That sounds really cool actually. I had to look up some stuff but I have to say that the art direction doesn't look as great. Still, it sounds right up my alley. I like loot, quests and dungeon crawling a lot.

Turn-based strategy games are a rare breed this generation, but XCOM: Enemy Unknown looks awesome from the footage I’ve seen. I’ve not played the original myself, but Firaxis is very passionate about XCOM and is determined to deliver a great strategy game that does the XCOM series justice. Between this and Dishonored, I’ll be in heaven on October 9th.

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Eek! Turn based strategy is my Achilles' heel. I can't seem to find the patience or time to truly enjoy them. Dishonored seems to have some semi-hype going on in GAF and I like the sound of that -- my only problem is the proposed length (4-5hrs) which sounds wayyy too short for full price. I hope that is not true and that it is very replayable then.

I imagine Dragon’s Dogma will get a Gold/Ultimate/Super/whatever edition sometime down the road, so there’s probably no need to rush in if your backlog is huge.Good stuff on getting your PS3 fixed; it's time to add Graces f to ye olde backlog.

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It's CAPCPOM, I even expect it down the road, lol. And thanks, I realise I have Heavy Rain and Uncharted 3 to get through first. But I'm definitely getting dat Tales.

Ugh really? Damn, I knew it was too good to be true that they'd kill off those awful creatures!

Yep.

But hey, at least we’re getting Rayman platformers again!

Indeed, reviews across the entire spectrum. I was supposed to buy my copy yesterday, but then the reviews kinda deflated my brother's hype and now we dunno what to do lol.

I’m waiting for a sale, MAYBE black Friday but probably sometime later in all likelihood. Borderlands 2, XCOM, and Dishonored should keep me satisfied for a while anyway, not to mention I still have Red Dead Redemption GOTY, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Xenoblade in my backlog.

That sounds really cool actually. I had to look up some stuff but I have to say that the art direction doesn't look as great. Still, it sounds right up my alley. I like loot, quests and dungeon crawling a lot.

I like the art style(Borderlands 2 really amped up the color over its predecessor), and I think it does a great job of making the games look distinct from the plethora of shooters on the market. And I think it looks much, much better than the drab, realistic approach they initially went with.

Eek! Turn based strategy is my Achilles' heel. I can't seem to find the patience or time to truly enjoy them. Dishonored seems to have some semi-hype going on in GAF and I like the sound of that -- my only problem is the proposed length (4-5hrs) which sounds wayyy too short for full price. I hope that is not true and that it is very replayable then.

Haha, I expected as much since you expressed disinterest in turn-based games when I talked about Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Oh well, we all have our kryptonite - modern day military shooters, racing games, most on-rails games(light gun shooters = kill it with fire), and sports games are anathema to me.

That Dishonered playtime came from a 4chan poster that beat the game on easy and deliberately rushed through the game(and died a ton along the way). Here’s what Bethesda community manager Nick Breckon had to say on the matter:

Yeah, if you're playing on easy and skipping all the side content, it's not hard to exploit open games for fast playtimes. We did an office speed-run of Skyrim before it shipped and got it down to ~2 hours. Because of the sandbox level design, Dishonored doesn't have a lot of cutscene gating or corridor event sequences to artificially prevent you from speed-running. But those fast runs don't represent normal playthroughs at all; usually times fall in the 12-20+ hour range, plus replays for different endings/powers etc.

I like the art style(Borderlands 2 really amped up the color over its predecessor), and I think it does a great job of making the games look distinct from the plethora of shooters on the market. And I think it looks much, much better than the drab, realistic approach they initially went with.

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Yeah, I meant 1! 2 is looking quite a bit more appealing. But then 1 will be far cheaper...

Haha, I expected as much since you expressed disinterest in turn-based games when I talked about Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Oh well, we all have our kryptonite - modern day military shooters, racing games, most on-rails games(light gun shooters = kill it with fire), and sports games are anathema to me.

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Lol, I'm with you on modern day military shooters, racing games (minus stuff like Mario Kart, F Zero, Wipeout, Burnout...) and sports (minus tennis and footie). But I love me some on-rails stuff haha. I think they got a bad rep with some Ninty fans because of Capcom and EA half assing their support of key franchises by making on-rails alternatives on Wii (Dead Space, Resident Evil).

Well you can tell me here, of course. XD I'll welcome any suggestions for my first game(s) to tackle...hopefully!

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I'm surprised you have not gotten into a lot of Final Fantasies (VI, VII, XII in particular) and Tales even (Rebirth, Destiny, Eternia, you can forget the DS ones minus Hearts which is legit good). MGS2/3 are really excellent games worth playing too.

I'm surprised you get motion sickness from some games like Beyond Good & Evil and Okami. That's really bad because both games are very good and rewarding. Okami in particular, you should absolutely love. Yggy and I talked about BG&E briefly on this page.

Metroid Prime, well, it's unfortunate the first person view is distracting, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. If this might encourage you though, it plays nothing like a shooter. It's still more about exploration and discovery, but yes, the first person view might be hard to adjust to if you don't play games like that.

Or maybe we should just egg ourselves on into playing Xenoblade, because, well, I have that on my backlog; I'm about 10hrs in, so maybe further ahead, but let's go!

Since we are getting tales of Xillia in the states in 2013 that means if tales of xillia 2 is going to the states we should get it in 2015. hmm feels like the resident evil movies all over again every two years one come out though its a good thing so they wont have all these glitches and errors that the sports game have. By the way this is kain8972 i forgot my password and i have deleted my old email account long time ago. hopefully ye played phantasia, also on a side note tales of phantasia is the only game that requires you to be level 100 or at least close to it to beat the final boss or at least most faq say you have. excluding disagea cause to beat the true final boss you have to be at least 3000- 6000 via post game.

Indeed. I STILL hope for a 3D Rayman 4 though by Ancel that rivals Rayman 2

Maybe Ancel will look into it after Beyond Good and Evil 2 is finished lol.

Yeah, I meant 1! 2 is looking quite a bit more appealing. But then 1 will be far cheaper...

2 is a much better game, as it improves on what Borderlands did well and fixed a lot of the problems I had with the first game. But yeah, Borderlands GOTY is no doubt much cheaper nowadays, and it’s still a fun game to play with your buddies online.

Lol, I'm with you on modern day military shooters, racing games (minus stuff like Mario Kart, F Zero, Wipeout, Burnout...) and sports (minus tennis and footie). But I love me some on-rails stuff haha. I think they got a bad rep with some Ninty fans because of Capcom and EA half assing their support of key franchises by making on-rails alternatives on Wii (Dead Space, Resident Evil).

Stuff like Star Fox 64 and Treasure games are good, but I've never been able to get into games that are in the same vein as House of the Dead and Time Crisis.

That's great to hear!

It took me almost four hours just to beat the first mission, and there’s plenty of game left to go. Needless to say, Dishonored and XCOM are ****ing awesome so far.

Haha wow@Borderlands 2, but well deserved for the folks at Gearbox because Borderlands 2 is a great game. 3DS hardware and software sales still look sluggish, and 3DS software represented less than 3% of total software sales in September. I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but things are not looking good for the dedicated handheld market.

Since we are getting tales of Xillia in the states in 2013 that means if tales of xillia 2 is going to the states we should get it in 2015. hmm feels like the resident evil movies all over again every two years one come out though its a good thing so they wont have all these glitches and errors that the sports game have. By the way this is kain8972 i forgot my password and i have deleted my old email account long time ago. hopefully ye played phantasia, also on a side note tales of phantasia is the only game that requires you to be level 100 or at least close to it to beat the final boss or at least most faq say you have. excluding disagea cause to beat the true final boss you have to be at least 3000- 6000 via post game.

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Ooh kain, I remember you...I was wondering what newbie stumbled upon here by accident, ha.

And yeah, I wouldn't xpect a Xilla 2 anytime soon - if at all. Also I dunno, when I beat ToP, I don't think I was anywhere near level 100

wow@Borderlands 2, but well deserved for the folks at Gearbox because Borderlands 2 is a great game. 3DS hardware and software sales still look sluggish, and 3DS software represented less than 3% of total software sales in September. I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but things are not looking good for the dedicated handheld market.

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Borderlands 2 sales are indeed ridiculous lol. Amazing.

And yeah, I think as far as the US market and much of the European market is concerned, the dedicated handheld market is displaying some worrying signs. That 3% figure is truly distressing. I truly wonder how things will shape up for the 3DS and Vita in the holiday. I think the message is that people are not into premium dedicated handheld devices even though the last generation would suggest otherwise. I think people overplay the competition of the smartphones but there is some overlap and I think both the 3DS and Vita need to come down in price. $40 - $50 for handheld games is not it at all.

In Japan the situation isn't as bad though because at least the 3DS is the ONLY console that seems healthy at the moment.

Ah, so you mean mostly light gun games then. Those, I definitely prefer playing with friends coop or at the Arcades. Arcades....ahhh those were dem days.

Arcades are a joke here lol, but that has been the case for many years.

That's great to hear~! Dishonoured has been getting fantastic reviews thus far, so I am very keen myself.

XCOM completely sucked me in(sooo good) and I've been playing a lot of Borderlands 2 with my friends lately, so I haven’t finished Dishonored yet. I’ll get back to it in a bit because I enjoyed what I've played of it so far.

And yeah, I think as far as the US market and much of the European market is concerned, the dedicated handheld market is displaying some worrying signs. That 3% figure is truly distressing. I truly wonder how things will shape up for the 3DS and Vita in the holiday. I think the message is that people are not into premium dedicated handheld devices even though the last generation would suggest otherwise. I think people overplay the competition of the smartphones but there is some overlap and I think both the 3DS and Vita need to come down in price. $40 - $50 for handheld games is not it at all.

There’s not much left for the 3DS this year other than Paper Mario, which will do well, but it probably won’t have the same pull as something like SM3DL and NSMB2. Nintendo will ultimately be relying on Paper Mario, NSMB2, the XL, and the legs of last year’s big games like Mario Kart 7 and SM3DL. I'm curious to see how this holiday season turns out for them(plus there's Wii U as well).

The Vita’s holiday season(and possibly even its future viability as a platform) rests squarely on Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty’s shoulders this fall. It’s sink or swim time for Sony.

IIRC, the first iOS devices didn’t show up until a few years after the DS had launched and established itself as king of the hill. The 3DS and Vita came out in a market with more options than say, 2008, so I don’t think we can assume that what was true for last gen handhelds will still apply for current gen handhelds. I’m not saying that there isn’t a market for the 3DS(Vita on the other hand…), but I think that a big chunk of that casual market that made the DS such a huge success isn't coming back. The fact that Nintendo hasn’t made any great strides with that audience and has instead gone after the core/PSP market is very telling to me.

Hardware prices for both systems need to come down for sure, and I 100% agree on game prices being way too high. It’s entering console territory, which is already too much if you ask me.

In Japan the situation isn't as bad though because at least the 3DS is the ONLY console that seems healthy at the moment.

Yeah, without the 3DS, the Japanese game industry would look worse than it already does. The other systems are either on their way out(PSP, PS3, Wii, etc.) or dead on arrival(Vita).

Err...ummm...double post. It looks like this place just upped and died.

I saw Wreck-It Ralph a few days ago and it was a great, fun movie. The Walking Dead is finally starting to get really good; the first 4 episodes of season 3 have been a huge improvement over the uneven season 2 and terribad season 1(pilot episode excluded).

I'm surprised you have not gotten into a lot of Final Fantasies (VI, VII, XII in particular) and Tales even (Rebirth, Destiny, Eternia, you can forget the DS ones minus Hearts which is legit good). MGS2/3 are really excellent games worth playing too.

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I knnnooowwww, I really want to finish the Tales ones especially. I'm thinking whether to hold off on Rebirth though until the translated patch comes out (though that'll probably take a while, so...) Though I can work on others in the meantime.

And yeah I still REALLY want to finish VI. That's going to be the first FF I tackle, that's for sure.

I'm surprised you get motion sickness from some games like Beyond Good & Evil and Okami. That's really bad because both games are very good and rewarding. Okami in particular, you should absolutely love. Yggy and I talked about BG&E briefly on this page.

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I know, it sucks because BG&E is apparently really short, too. I just got stuck somewhere and couldn't find my way after that, before my motion sickness starts taking over again. >_< It's really frustrating...

I do really want to finish Okami too...(starting to notice a pattern yet? )

Metroid Prime, well, it's unfortunate the first person view is distracting, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. If this might encourage you though, it plays nothing like a shooter. It's still more about exploration and discovery, but yes, the first person view might be hard to adjust to if you don't play games like that.

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Well I have nothing against the first-person view, really. It might just be the general theme of the game or something that's hard for me to get immersed into...which I know doesn't make any sense. <_<;

Or maybe we should just egg ourselves on into playing Xenoblade, because, well, I have that on my backlog; I'm about 10hrs in, so maybe further ahead, but let's go!

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Haha I can probably get behind that!

...maybe. D: I think it's really now more due to lack of time than anything else...especially with having to divide my time now with the hubby. Normally I can *usually* beat a game within 2-3 weeks, if I put in enough hours a day...but now I'm lucky if I can put in that many hours in a month. I haven't even beat Graces F yet and it's not that I don't want to play it, either. So I'm afraid that this is probably going to last for a while, until we're at least somewhat settled...

Sorry, wanted to post a while ago but I was kind of not feeling well and couldn't get online as much. =(

So apparently Xillia 2 impressions are looking pretty good. Much better than the first Xillia at any rate...wish they had just gotten it right the first time around.

From what I've read, import impressions seem kind of mixed – although I've only read impressions from the handful of people that imported the Japanese release in the neogaf official thread. Consensus indeed points to a better game, but not one without some very noticeable flaws like recycled content from the first game and a silent protagonist as the main character(wtf I had never heard of this until now).

The Karl Rove vs the decision desk meltdown was my favorite part that night. "But…but…Ohio is too early to call!"

All of the Facebook, Twitter, and other “people voted for Obama to get free stuff and America is ****ed” vitriol that has been spewed out of the orifices of fringe conservatives this past week has been incredibly amusing(and, at times, frightening) to me. These people really do live in a conservative echo chamber where fantasy that is masquerading as reality is being spoon-fed to them via Fox News/Rush Limbaugh/Glenn Beck/etc. This bubble needs to be popped, but it's the only world-view these people know and accept - so they stay inside and never venture out even though these same news sources failed them tremendously this election.

The GOP lost because they fine-tuned their message almost exclusively for white, rich, Christian men whilst alienating large numbers of minorities, women, and young voters. Simply put, the GOP's current platform is unfit and outdated for the 21st century.